Ulrik Birk-Petersen

Ulrik Birk-Petersen is a Senior Research Fellow at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy (EDA), where he leads the Academy’s 21st Century Diplomacy Programme. The programme examines diplomatic best practices as well as skills, competencies and training required by a new generation of diplomats.

Prior to joining EDA, Ulrik Birk-Petersen worked as a management consultant for McKinsey & Co. in Dubai. Before joining McKinsey, he worked as a diplomat with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark in different roles, including a posting to the Royal Danish Embassy in Moscow. Prior to joining the Danish Foreign Service, Ulrik Birk-Petersen served with the World Bank in Washington, DC, and with the European Union in West Africa.

While pursuing his studies in Copenhagen, he worked as political secretary to a party leader in the Danish Parliament. His experience also includes working as a researcher with the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC.

Ulrik Birk-Petersen was a Crown Prince Frederik Scholar at the Harvard Kennedy School from where he graduated with a Master in Public Administration. He received his BA in Political Science from the University of Copenhagen.